All In Good Time
by ICarryYourHeart16
Summary: Formerly known as W-2's, Beer, and a Couch. Duty, it was something neither of them could deny but fate sure had crappy timing. **Chapter Four Up**
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well I was supposed to be working on part 2 of 'Break' but then this happened so... **

* * *

Words were blurring in front of her face and Kensi groaned audibly before going to the fridge for a beer. It was the third time she'd walked away from the tax form sitting at her desk. She eyed the form as if it was an especially annoying suspect then took a deep breath, determined to conquer it. She read the first line again carefully, _If you checked box 1, 3, or 4 above, enter 1 in the box. If you checked box 2 or 5, enter 2, in the box. If you checked the box on line 6, see page 7._Kensi frowned at the form and wrote in 1 hesitantly before panicking and erasing it. Maybe she should have hired the tax guy from last year again. The knock at the door startled her and she almost welcomed the interruption until she moved the curtain to reveal Deeks' grinning face.

"What are you doing here?" She asked suspiciously as she opened her door.

"I'm helping you with your taxes" he replied, looking much too pleased with himself.

"I've got it." Kensi lied

Deeks pressed the laptop he carried into her hands and brushed past her, heading for the table where her tax forms lay.

He held up her state income tax return form.

"How long have you been stuck on line seven?" He asked

Kensi made a grab for it but he snatched the paper out of her reach.

"I was getting to it." She growled.

"Hmm," he glanced down at the scatter of papers and brushed at the cookie crumbs littering them. "I see you haven't started on your Federal Return yet."

Kensi wavered between pride and asking for help for only a moment before relenting and dropping on the couch.

"Fine, you can help me with my taxes." She grumbled.

"Fantastic," Deeks said, grabbing the laptop from her hand and opening it. "We can e-file, much easier than the paper form and," he picked up her W-2 and shook off the crumbs "You can't get it dirty."

Kensi rolled her eyes and scooted closer to eye the program with interest. "Turbo tax? I thought you were the tax expert."

"I didn't use Turbo Tax, Kensalina, I used my own personal knowledge of the American Tax system. But this isn't about me, this is about you. You can give a man a fish and feed him for a day, or you can teach him how to fish and feed him-"

"Ugh I get it, fine. How do I do this?" She asked, leaning towards the laptop to read the first prompt. Deeks leaned over her, putting an arm around her to type in her name. She elbowed him lightly and he grunted.

"No funny business," She said, trying to hide the smile curving her lips. He held up his hands in mock surrender and reached for her beer, taking a sip before she grabbed it from him.

"Go get your own beer," she said pointing towards the kitchen.

* * *

"and that," Deeks said pushing the laptop closed, "is how you get a big shiny return on your taxes." He leaned back to grin lazily at Kensi.

"Was any of that legal? I feel like I just committed tax fraud."

"As a civil servant and stout protector of the law I take offense to that assumption."

Kensi snorted "Protector of the law, that's nice. You use that line on your dates?"

Deeks reached out to fiddle with the ends of her hair. "Sometimes, why, is it working?"

She knocked his hand away and he grinned lazily at her.

"Do women always fall at your feet?"

"All but you my sweet, but I that's just because I haven't figured out how to trip you up yet."

His gaze warmed and some of the playfulness faded to reveal the desire in his eyes.

It sent her system scrambling and she concentrated on keeping her face blank, her eyes aloof. It made her miss the way his hand reached out and closed around her wrist.

"Interesting," He said, eyes on her. She knew he could feel the erratic beat of her pulse and she tugged halfheartedly at her arm. "looks like I may have been wrong after all."

He looked so arrogant and cocky she wanted to give him a hard smack upside the head, but an idea formed in her head and she let the smile that curved her lips work to her advantage.

"Maybe you were," she said, watching his eyes widen as her tone warmed and she slid closer to him.

If any blood had remained in his brain he probably would have seen right past the act but all he could focus on was the way her tongue flicked out to wet her lips as she practically crawled into his lap. His hand reached out to fist in her shirt as he tugged her closer and he yelped as the beer bottle smacked hard against his head.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Kensi asked laughing in delight as she scooted back and he rubbed the spot on his head.

"Ha ha, good one." Deeks said slowly, a dangerous glint in his eye.

Kensi had only a moment to think _uh oh_ when he had her pinned under him and his mouth was on hers, avid and hot, coaxing a response she was helpless to give.

The hands that were on his chest to push him away flexed and contracted, then smoothed over his chest to wrap around him. Her mind clouded over and she hardly recognized the sigh that sounded in her throat. His lips left her mouth to assault the smooth column of her neck and her eyes practically crossed as he nipped her lightly with his teeth right above the collarbone. Her hips bucked and rolled against his, pulling a low groan from him as he focused his attention back on her mouth.

The taste of her rocketed through him like white hot lightning wrapped in silk and any thought of consequence and repercussions were lost in the haze. His hands streaked under her shirt and her skin was warm and impossibly soft. Strong legs wrapped around him and any hope he had of regaining control was lost as the moan hummed low in her throat. He pushed the shirt over her head and reveled in the in the smooth warmth as he brushed his lips over her collarbone. Twin ringtones shrilled in the air and Deeks filled the air with colorful curses as his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Really?" He said loudly as he rolled away and dug his phone out of his pocket to see the number for the OP center illuminating the screen.

"Deeks," He answered, trying to keep his breathing even as he watched Kensi pull her shirt back on.

Eric said something about coming in but Deeks wasn't focusing on anything but the way his partner was subtly trying to avoid his gaze, a slight blush tingeing her cheeks. Now that was unexpected, and doing absolutely nothing to calm down the rush of need pulsing through his veins.

"Yeah," Deeks said distractedly as he hung up the phone then stood and held out a hand to Kensi. She smacked it away and the prickly gesture made him grin.

"Are we going to talk about this?" He asked as they headed towards the door.

"Nope," She said as she turned to lock the door and stash the key in her pocket. He spun her around and pressed her into the wall, his lips a whisper across hers. There was no rush this time, just a gentle press of lips, a slow exploration of tongues. She trembled and he felt her practically melt against him and his arms tightened to steady her. He pulled back and waited until her eyes fluttered open to press a final kiss to her lips

"We should talk about it." He said against her mouth.

"Fine, " She said pushing him away and pulling her tousled hair into a sleek tail. "After the case," She said, all business now. For unexplained reasons it made his heartbeat kick up a notch and he swung a friendly arm around her shoulders.

"Works for me," he said as they walked towards the car. She didn't shrug his arm off and he smiled at the progress.

**Just a fun little one-shot! Now I really will get back to "Break"**

**4/15 Edit: Since a few people asked for it I will write a second chapter but it might just take a bit since it wasn't really planned and I want to do them justice. :) Thanks for all the love! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I had to change the title, I first wrote this as a fluffy one-shot to get my creative juices flowing and now that I'm updating it has gone in a completely new direction and the title doesn't exactly fit, so welcome to ****All In Good Time. **

* * *

She'd expected the ride to The Mission to be awkward, had already prepared herself to spend the ride in miserable silence. The fact that it wasn't, that Deeks was chatting amiably with her like it was just another night being called in for an op should have relaxed her. Instead she was gripping the steering wheel tightly while two wildly conflicting desires fought for dominance. Half of her wanted to pull over on the side of the road and yank him to her for another mind-blowing kiss, and the other half wanted to backpedal and suggest they forget about the kiss, both kisses, and the heavy petting, and oh hell she was screwed. He was watching her, she could practically _feel_ his eyes on her trying to decipher her thoughts

"Stop it," she said, cutting her eyes from the road to pin him with a stare.

"We're really not going to talk about this until after the case?"

"No we're not."

"Okay then how about another kiss, just a little peck right here," he said pointing to his mouth.

"No," she said, keeping her eyes glued to the road.

"Come on Fern, just a little smooch."

The nickname made her lips quirk but she swatted at his reaching hand.

"Quit it Deeks."

"Kiss me and I'll stop."

"Fine," Kensi said through gritted teeth and swung the car into place in front of the mission before reaching over and laying her mouth on his, giving his lower lip a playful little nip before deepening the kiss. It was just as explosive as the first time, and she doubted she would ever get used to that shock of sensation. His hand fisted at her back and he yanked her closer, grunting in protest when her seatbelt kept her firmly in her own seat.

"That's enough of that," Kensi said as she wiggled out of his grip. She couldn't help but feel a little burst of satisfaction at his dazed expression A slight movement to his left caught her eye and Kensi found herself staring straight into Nell's shocked face. Nell jolted and then spun around, making her way quickly inside as Kensi gaped at her. Deeks had turned around to see what she was looking at and now he turned back to her with amusement sparkling in his eyes.

"Hope she doesn't tell Eric or half of NCIS will know by morning."

Kensi groaned and unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Not helping."

* * *

He felt great, better than great. Deeks had long since come to terms with the fact that he was crazy about his partner, finally acting on it was probably the best decision he had made in a long time. Her long legs were eating up the ground and he lengthened his stride to keep up with her. She was a bundle of nerves, he could practically feel them emanating off her. At times like these it was best to keep her distracted, occupied with a dozen little arguments while he laid the groundwork for the direction he really wanted her to take. As they entered the building he gave her butt a light swat, and shot her a sheepish grin when those dark mismatched eyes burned into his.

"Unless you want to go to the hospital to get your arm reattached I suggest you keep it to yourself," Kensi hissed. Deeks raised his hands in surrender and followed her without further incident.

The rest of the team was already in OPS when they came up the stairs and Deeks noticed that Nell was studiously avoiding their gazes as she typed information into the computer.

Eric pulled files up onto the screen as Hetty waited patiently for them to file in.

"As you all know we've been keeping tabs on the Hadlow organization." Hetty pointed to the image of Marvin Hadlow as she spoke. Numerous other pictures and files dotted the screen, detailing the expanse of Hadlow's criminal dealings. He had fingers in every pie, a little bit of drug smuggling, some stolen artifacts from Iraqi museums, money laundering, the list went on. They'd been tracking him for months, trying to get an in but Hadlow ran a tight crew.

"We have an opportunity to get on the inside of the Hadlow organization but it will require a deep cover operation," she paused and her eyes traveled the room, resting on Kensi. Deeks started to get a sinking feeling in his stomach. "There is a very high possibility that many months will have to be spent building his trust." Her eyes met Callen's. Deeks watched with growing anxiety as they seemed to communicate without speaking.

"When do we leave?" Callen finally asked.

"Tonight" Hetty said, and both her and Callen turned to look at Kensi.

"Miss Blye I'm well aware that you haven't had extensive training in long term cover work but unfortunately we are in need of your specific skill set. Do you feel adequately prepared to join ?"

Kensi's eyes met Deeks' for just a second and he was sure that he saw a flicker of regret in them.

"Yes I'm ready" she said.

Duty, it was something neither of them could deny but fate sure had crappy timing.

Hetty handed Kensi a dossier that held information she would have to memorize on the long drive to San Diego. Callen was already leaning over Eric's shoulder as he continued backstopping their identities.

"Mr. Deeks, Mr. Hanna, a word."

Deeks followed Sam to the computer station where Hetty stood.

"Hadlow has a few minor financial interests in town, we'll get the two of you set up on surveillance tomorrow morning while Callen and Kensi try to find way to infiltrate Hadlow's organization through Hadlow himself.

Sam was frowning at the screen and Deeks knew he wasn't exactly looking forward to the reshuffling of partners either. It was rare for them to switch partners but every now and then a case would require a certain look to sell a cover and they would have to work around that. He knew Callen looked more like the slick criminal type but he couldn't help but wish that it was him going undercover with Kensi. Hell he would have chopped off his hair without a second thought if it meant he wouldn't have to be separated from Kensi for who knows how long. Especially now with so many things up in the air. Deeks let out a frustrated sigh, his plans had officially gone to shit.

* * *

They had to act fast, she didn't have days to prepare for her cover. She had mere hours to build up her new persona, sell herself as the beautiful but ambitious lover of the small time crime boss Callen would play. In the end it would be up to her to get close to the target, pretend to betray Callen for the charming and handsome Hadlow. She was now Elena Montano. Kensi chanted the name to herself repeatedly as she pulled the clothes from the rack tagged with an E for her cover name. Elena Montano was thirty one, she had a bachelors degree in business and accounting, and a few suspicious business dealings that clouded an otherwise clean record. She wore only designer clothing and she had a weakness for handbags.

Hetty had already slipped in a fake I.D and a few credit cards under her name along with a few old receipts from fake salon and spa appointments. Her cover had to be airtight, Hadlow was highly suspicious and that paranoia had served him well. No one had been able to get close to him, this was their only chance and it wasn't without risk. She would be going in with only Callen to back her up, and as they got closer to tagging Hadlow for the various murders and his ties to terrorist attacks, it would be only her.

She could tell Hetty was nervous about sending her out on a mission that would keep her out of contact with the rest of the team for so long as well. There wouldn't be check ins, they would do their best to keep track of her through street cameras and various surveillance footage but even that would be almost impossible. The longest undercover operation she'd done had been the two weeks she'd been fake married to Deeks, and even that had included a lot of check-ins at the Mission.

Kensi turned to look at herself in the mirror. She wore a sleek black dress and her hair was styled into a chic chignon. As soon as they arrived in San Diego she would book a hair and nail appointment where she would accidentally run into Hadlow's sister Amanda. They would make small talk and Kensi would mention she's new in town, Amanda would probably offer to show her around, she loved to entertain. That would be her in. Kensi would do her best to get Marvin to notice her and when he did, she would act aloof, let him know she was involved with Callen, no, Thomas Duncan. Marvin had a weakness for beautiful women, he was even more interested when they weren't available. So she would act like he was slowly wearing her down and when he thought that he finally did, she would slip into his bedroom, unlock the safe that held the record book, and deliver it to Hetty. At least that was the plan, but as they all knew undercover operations almost never went according to plan.

She heard someone clear their throat and turned to find Deeks standing in the doorway.

"Timing really sucked on this one didn't it?" He said quietly.

Kensi let out a breath, shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe it just wasn't meant to be." Though her tone was nonchalant, the pull of emotions was anything but.

"You're really going to give up that easily?"

"What do you want me to do Deeks?"

"I want you to give us a chance."

She wanted to try, desperately did, but this was a high stakes cover, she couldn't afford to let herself be distracted by him.

"I can't Deeks."

He looked at her for a long moment and then sighed and ducked his head.

"I get it."

"Deeks," she pleaded.

His eyes met hers again and none of the anger or disappointment she expected to see was there.

"Timing sucks," he repeated

"It does," she said.

He took a deep breath and looked around at the wardrobe she was packing into the suitcase Hetty had provided.

"Send me a postcard from San Diego." He said, even though they both knew it wasn't an option.

Kensi smiled and tossed a dress haphazardly into the suitcase.

"Let me do that," he said and plucked the dress out, folding it neatly before setting it back. They worked silently together, her handing him clothing while he folded it into the suitcase. He was just trying to maneuver a pair of impossibly high heels into the limited space when Callen knocked on the doorframe.

"Ready?"

He wore a suit expertly tailored to his frame, and a Rolex was glinting at his wrist.

"Yes," Kensi said reaching over Deeks to zip up the suitcase.

She felt their time together slipping from her fingers like sand and she desperately wanted to grab onto the last few precious seconds.

"I guess this is goodbye,"

"Yeah," Kensi said sadly as she lifted the suitcase and headed for the door.

"Kens?"

She turned and saw he had a slight smile on his face

"Throw in a few naked pictures with that postcard?"

"God, Deeks!" but she was laughing as she walked out of the Mission with Callen.

**A/N: Okay, so I just could not think of a second chapter to this that I liked and then I thought, you know what would really suck? If one of them had to go undercover for a long time and they got separated. So this happened. I'm sorry, I know I left off on a cliffhanger on Break too but I just can't seem to help myself. The good news is I will update both of these stories before Tuesday. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I guess I scared some of you last chapter, sorry! Don't worry I am almost incapable of writing anything that doesn't have a happy ending.** **:) **

* * *

The two hour drive to San Diego was mostly quiet. Callen didn't speak much and Kensi was too busy trying to keep her thoughts from circling back to Deeks to try and initiate any conversation. She watched as city lights flew by and ran over the details of her cover story. It was almost one in the morning and Kensi felt herself dozing off. She must have fallen asleep because when she opened her eyes again Callen was just pulling up to the hotel and he was nudging her arm.

Kensi rubbed at her eyes and yawned before leaving Kensi behind and getting out of the car as Elena Montano. She acknowledged the valet with a cool nod and wrapped her fingers around the arm Callen held out.

"Take it to room 2016," Callen said and they headed to the front desk where the night attendant sat.

"Hi there welcome to the Grand Marriott Manchester how may I help you today?"

"We're booked under Duncan, Thomas." Callen said

The attendant began to type furiously into the computer and turned a moment later with a keycard in hand.

"Welcome Mr. Duncan we hope you enjoy your stay. Your valet's will have your bags brought up shortly."

Callen nodded his thanks and led Kensi into the elevator. She released his arm as soon as the doors closed and they rode in companionable silence. Without Sam or Deeks initiating some sort of conversation Callen and Kensi were usually more apt to slip into their own thoughts.

Hetty had booked them one of the hotel's suites overlooking the ocean and Kensi stepped out onto the terrace. A slight breeze teased her skin and the scent of the sea made her think of Deeks again. It was stupid but she felt like she missed him already. It had only been a few hours but the way they'd left things up in the air made her uneasy. She wondered if he would still want more when she got back, or if the time spent apart would make him come to his senses, realize that maybe giving them a chance wasn't the best idea after all. Kensi shook her head. It wouldn't help her to think like that, not now when everything counted on her presenting a solid cover that would get them access into the Hadlow organization and to Hadlow himself. She shoved the sadness and regret into a tight corner of her mind and took a deep cleansing breath before turning back around.

Callen was already putting his clothes neatly away when she came back in the room.

"You may want to hang up that Dior dress, Hetty will find a way to make you regret it if you wrinkle it."

"Ooh, good point," Kensi said and she reached into the suitcase to hang a few items of clothing haphazardly in the closet. There was a lacy black bra that she wouldn't wear unless absolutely necessary and she hung it on the doorknob to the bathroom. Callen raised an eyebrow and she shrugged.

"What? I had to make it look realistic."

He pursed his lips as if considering and tossed one of his belts onto the floor and kicked off his shoes to lay alongside it.

"Good thinking," he said as he grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom.

Kensi rooted through the suitcase and pulled out the old shirt and sleep shorts she'd packed after seeing that Elena's sleeping garments consisted purely of small lace edged scraps of silk. She paused and then tossed one of the tiny silk pajama shorts onto the footstool at the base of the bed. She cocked her head to the side and decided it looked like two people who were comfortable living together stayed here. Callen stepped out of the bathroom and Kensi traded places with him, slipping out of the black dress and into her sleep clothes. When she walked out again she saw he was stretched out on the floor.

"You can sleep on the bed." She said pulling back the covers "It's big enough." The plush sized king bed could probably comfortably sleep four people.

"Hmm, no Deeks warned me about you."

Kensi's head snapped up and she eyed Callen warily.

"What?"

"Deeks said you like to snuggle."

"I do not!" Kensi said, faint embarrassment coloring her voice.

"Whatever, I'll stick to the floor."

"Fine, wake up with a stiff neck." Kensi growled, sliding into the bed.

She heard Callen chuckling and decided not to dignify it with a response.

"So what happened between you two?" Callen asked, and Kensi was struck silent for a moment at the uncharacteristically personal question.

"Nothing" she said finally, frowning at the ceiling.

"There was a whole lot of nothing going on when I walked in on the two of you packing your bag."

Kensi remained silent and Callen sighed before continuing.

"I had someone once, that I cared a lot about. I let her go." There was a long silence punctuated only by their breathing.

"What happened?" Kensi finally asked.

"She moved on." Callen said simply.

Voicing the memory had cost him, she could hear it in the slight change of tone as he spoke and because of it she didn't push for details.

"You and I are alike, we're perfectly fine on our own, doesn't always mean we should be."

Kensi worried her lip with her teeth as Callen's words settled over her.

"We crossed a line, probably have been for a while now, he wants more."

Because he also knew the admission had cost her he didn't say anything.

They lay there as silence enveloped them and the first light of morning drew closer.

"Just don't miss out on your chance like I did" Callen finally said, and Kensi heard the rustle of blankets as he turned on his side.

She thought of Deeks, of duty, and of really bad timing.

* * *

He spent the early morning hours in the water. The ocean soothed him when the cases started to become too much, when a cover was weighing too heavily, when missing his partner was a constant ache in his chest. It had been nearly three weeks. Last night Kensi and Callen had stopped by the surveillance camera in the lobby and Callen had rubbed his ear, a signal that they were still on track. Kensi had looked into the camera for just a moment and a hint of a smile had curved her lips, almost like she knew he would be watching.

He'd started to live for those moments, the small glimpses of her that assured him she was okay. The sun warmed his back and he paddled hard to push himself over the swell of water. Their constant surveillance of Hadlow's two local financial holdings hadn't unearthed anything. Hetty had pulled them from surveillance duty just yesterday and he knew most of today would be spent sifting through the hundreds of documents they'd managed to secretly obtain from Hadlow. The watch on his wrist beeped, signaling it was time for work, and he caught the next wave to shore.

Nell and Eric were huddled over the computer when Deeks walked into OPS and he leaned casually over Nell's shoulder to see what they were looking at. Numbers and figures where running across the screen and he could see Nell's eyes darting rapidly up and down the page.

"What are you guys doing?"  
"Looking through Hadlow's financials," Eric said absently, scrolling down the page.

"Looks boring," Deeks said and turned to study the large screen that held a brief summary of what they'd been able to find on Hadlow so far. It wasn't much, certainly not enough to prosecute and get him off the street. He rubbed his chin idly, looking over the data, trying to see if there was something he'd missed. The sooner they nailed Hadlow the sooner Kensi could come home. This time he wouldn't let her go so easily.

"Mr. Deeks,"

He turned to see Hetty holding up a flash drive.

"Is that for me?"

She smiled at his obvious reluctance

"Yes, but not to worry, Sam will be along any moment now to assist you."

"Fantastic," Deeks said sarcastically as he took the flash drive and headed for his desk.

* * *

Kensi grit her teeth as a technician massaged a fragrant oil onto her hands and arms. She'd been plucked and prodded all day and if she had to strip naked one more time she was going to physically assault someone. It completely mystified her that anyone could find this relaxing. If she hadn't been making such good progress with Amanda Hadlow she would have opted out of the weekly Spa trip.

"We should go shopping after we're done here, the gaslight district has some wonderful boutiques,"  
Amanda said from beside her.

"That's a wonderful idea, I was just thinking I needed a new dress." she tried her best to sound delighted.

"You should get something to show off your legs, you have such wonderful legs. I would kill for legs like yours!" Amanda gushed.

"Oh stop it!" Kensi said, mentally rolling her eyes. Conversation with Amanda wasn't exactly enlightening.

"So, things seemed a little rocky between you and Thomas yesterday." Amanda said.

Glad that their planted argument had worked, Kensi pretended to sigh irritably.

"I don't know why I stay with him sometimes, really. He's so stubborn about everything!" Kensi gave Amanda a look

"Men," Amanda said sympathetically and leaned back as a technician massaged a strange grey goop onto her face.

Kensi grimaced and leaned back as well as that same goop was plopped onto her face. As soon as she got out of here she was going to find a hamburger joint and order a double cheeseburger with extra fries, she'd had enough mineral water and spring salads to last a lifetime.

* * *

Callen looked up in surprise when Kensi stalked into the hotel room and flopped onto the bed, groaning in frustration.

"Problem?"  
"Yes, I spent all day in that damn spa with Amanda and then she dragged me around for hours going shopping in these ridiculous little stores and I still haven't managed to get introduced to her brother." Kensi rolled over and stared at the ceiling. "I have listened to her whine about how bad she looked in the photo on page six, how her all her friends are getting plastic surgery and she's so against it even though I know for a fact that she's gotten liposuction and a boob job, and don't even get me started on her weight obsession."

"Hey not everyone can mow through a box of donuts every morning and still fit into size two jeans."

"Shut up," Kensi said as she sat up and faced Callen. "What else am I supposed to do?"

Callen shrugged his shoulders

"Wait," he said.

Kensi sighed and laid back down, staring at the ceiling. They hadn't so much as gotten a foot in the door and they'd been at it for almost a month. Her cover was beginning to chafe, and she was starting to feel the strain of constantly keeping up the alias. She thought of Deeks and pressed her fingers to her eyes. Put it away Kensi, she told herself.

Her cell phone rang and jolted her from her thoughts. Callen looked up and stared intently as she answered the call.

"Hi Amanda."

The room was tense with silence as she listened to Amanda on the other line.

"That would be lovely, I'll tell Thomas."

Callen looked questioningly at her as she disconnected the line.

"Thomas and Elena have an invite to the cocktail party Amanda's brother is hosting tomorrow evening."

"Guess we're done waiting."

Kensi pumped her fist in the air and scrambled off the bed to yank the burgundy dress from the hanger.

"Looks like I'll finally have an excuse to wear this thing!"

"That _thing_ cost over a thousand dollars, it's vintage Dior."

"That fashion designer cover never completely wore off did it?" Kensi said, a smile beginning to bloom at Callen's irritated scowl.

"You guys are never going to let me live that one down are you?"

"Nope," Kensi said as she tossed the dress on the bed. Callen had spent almost two weeks posing as a wildly flamboyant fashion designer last spring and ever since the team had been teasing him mercilessly about it. Deeks had even gone so far as to post pictures of Callen dressed in a tight fitting suit in the men's bathroom asking them to call him for a good time. That had not ended well for Deeks and the memory had her chuckling to herself.

* * *

Deeks knew something was wrong the moment he stepped into the OPS center. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Hetty was talking in low urgent tones with Eric, and Nell was looking around nervously at anything but him. He met Sam's gaze and felt his stomach sink.

"What? What happened?" He asked.

"They missed their last check in." Sam said, his expression tight.

Fear crawled up his spine and he looked desperately at the feed from the hotel lobby as if Kensi and Callen would appear at any moment.

Hetty stood and turned to face them.

"I have Eric checking traffic cams and surveillance footage. At last account Mr. Callen and Ms. Blye were seen leaving the hotel lobby at seven last night. They were dressed well and Callen signaled that they've made contact. We have not seen them entering the hotel again and this morning Mr. Beale alerted me that two men were seen carrying their luggage out of the room.

Deeks felt fear pierce his chest, an icy arrow.

"Where was their last known location?" he asked.

"Hadlow hosted a cocktail party last evening in his home, we can only assume that's where they were headed."

"We have to go down there, we-"

Hetty held up a hand to cut him off.

"I am well aware that you are concerned for your partner, but making our presence known now could put Callen and Kensi in danger. I've already had this discussion with Mr. Hanna. We must wait, however hard it is. Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones are keeping a constant live stream coming from any street camera's surrounding his home." Despite her authoritative tone, Deeks could see the crease of worry around Hetty's eyes.

He knew she was right, running down there now would only blow Callen and Kensi's covers and put their lives at unnecessary risk. This was the hardest part of being on the other side of undercover work, the worry and the waiting, not knowing if your partner was lying somewhere dead, or if they were perfectly fine and just couldn't make contact without blowing their cover. He closed his eyes as the thought of Kensi laying somewhere hurt, unable to get help, threatened to consume him. Having an overactive imagination wasn't going to help him at this point. Deeks walked across the room to where Nell was standing.

"The moment you see or hear anything call me, I don't care what time it is." He murmured.

Nell nodded and when her eyes met his they were filled with understanding.

When Deeks returned to his desk he attacked the files they had on Hadlow with a vengeance, searching for something they could pin on him. The guy ran a clean filing system, each and every financial dealing had a legitimate and legal source. Even though they knew he was dealing under the table, his books didn't reflect it. Every cent was accounted for. There had to be some sort of shell company, he thought. Something that was covering all that illegal income.

He heard Sam sit down and the temperamental slap of files onto the desk told him Sam was definitely not happy. Deeks looked up and met his gaze.

"You find anything?" Sam asked.

"Still nothing."

"Damn," Sam glared across the room at nothing in particular and Deeks leaned back in his chair, watching him.

"They're okay, right? I mean we would have heard or seen something if they weren't"

Sam shrugged his shoulders and continued staring off into the distance.

"This is Callen and Kensi we're talking about. Nobody gets the drop on them. I mean Callen practically has a sixth sense and we all know Kensi is part ninja so..." Deeks trailed off, staring at the computer screen.

"Waiting's the worst part of the job," Sam said. They shared a look and Deeks sighed.

"Wish there was something we could do, some way we could get in contact with them."

"We don't hear from them in the next two days I'm going down there," Sam's expression was mutinous, "you in?"

"Yeah I'm in." Deeks said, determination steeling his face.

* * *

It was nearly midnight when he finally went home. He'd thought briefly about crashing on the couch at the Mission but he figured a stiff neck and a bad night's sleep would only make his brain fuzzy when he desperately needed to keep it sharp. He'd pored over Hadlow's files until his eyes had crossed and when he'd gone up one last time to check if Nell and Eric had made any progress towards finding Callen and Kensi he'd found them asleep. Eric was propped up in a chair, his head lolling backwards and Nell was curled up beside him, practically snuggled against him. He snapped a quick picture on his cell phone to save for blackmail later and made his way downstairs. Sam had gone home a few hours earlier and only because his wife had called him. Now in the stillness of night his worry grew stronger. Something had to be wrong. Either Callen or Kensi should have made contact by now, it wasn't normal for them to go so long without checking in this early into the operation. Either things had moved forward very quickly or something was very wrong.

Deeks kicked off his shoes and fell into bed still fully clothed. A long day of mindlessly searching through documents and worrying about Kensi had exhausted him. He felt sleep steal slowly over him.

The sharp ring pierced the silence and Deeks shot out of a deep slumber, his heart pounding against his ribs. He lunged for the cell phone he'd placed on his bedside table and took a moment to glance at the unknown number before answering.

"Hello?"

"Deeks?"

Kensi's voice sent a rush of relief coursing through him.

"Kens, are you okay?"

"Yes, I can't talk long, I've made contact with Hadlow, we're staying in his guest house. I had to sneak away to make this call. I don't know when we will be able to check in safely again."

"Okay," Deeks said desperately wishing he could prolong the connection, "stay safe Kensi."

"I will." There was a click as she hung up and Deeks swallowed the swell of emotion that had risen in his throat. It was the first time he'd heard her voice in a month. It made the separation all the more painful. She was okay, that was all that mattered, and if everything went according to plan they would get Hadlow and she could come home.


	4. Chapter 4

It was strange how comforting the sound of someone's voice could be. Kensi hung up the pay phone with a click and took a moment to center herself. She was well aware of the reason Callen had sent her to make the call, she was losing focus, the cover was beginning to slip, she needed just a moment of something familiar to reel her back in. Protocol would have been to call Hetty or the OPS center, but when she'd dialed the numbers it had been Deeks' cell phone. His voice had been slightly rough with sleep, and for a moment all she'd been able to say was his name. A million thoughts had raced around in her head, but now wasn't the time, so she'd kept it short and hung up before she could say any more.

Kensi checked her surroundings before slipping out of the phone booth again. It had been risky to sneak out but it would have been riskier still to stay out of contact. Staying out of contact meant you were either dead or being held captive, and then they sent out an extraction team which would blow the entire operation and most likely get them killed in the process. They'd moved into Hadlow's guest home the evening of the cocktail party at Amanda Hadlow's request. Hadlow had probably already done a thorough background check on her and Callen. He would find a clean record for Elena Montano that, with a little digging, would reveal a fair amount of covered up convictions and charges. Eric had planted a few false money trails that connected her to some very powerful people. Hadlow wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of power and he would be much less likely to suspect her if he was the one trying to persuade her to join him.

Kensi slipped inside the gates to the Hadlow estate and was almost back to the guest house when a voice stopped her.

"Are the phones in the guest house not sufficient?"

Hadlow stepped out of the shadows, a harmless smile on his face, but his eyes were cold and flat.

So she had been followed, and they were probably tracing the call to Deeks' cell phone right now. Fear pumped into her veins and she could only be grateful that it was registered to one of his cover identities.

Kensi crossed her arms casually and pretended to be studying Hadlow suspiciously even as her mind scrambled.

"Do you make a habit of spying on your guests?"

Hadlow stepped closer to her, measuring her.

"My job requires me to take out security measures, when one of my guests sneaks out at one in the morning to make a call on a pay phone when there are perfectly good phones in the guest house, it is cause for concern."

Even though her heart was pounding in her ears she kept her tone even. "I wasn't sure how secure the line was, I had an important call."

"Why, might I ask, would you need a secure line?" He was studying her intently now.

"That's none of your business, and maybe Thomas and I should leave, I don't appreciate being interrogated."

A hand clamped on her arm and Hadlow held her there, his eyes boring into hers. Kensi stared right back at him, her gaze fierce. Suddenly he released her and stepped back again.

"I apologize, but a man in my position must take certain precautions. Please, you are welcome to stay."

Kensi pretended to think it over. "I don't appreciate being followed, I have private matters of my own."

Hadlow nodded agreeably. "I will not order my men to follow you, but I must ask you to answer one more question."

At Kensi's nod he continued "The man you are with, Thomas, why do you stay with him?"

She had him right where she wanted him.

"What?" Her tone was angry, defensive.

"You clearly don't respect him, you hide things from him," Hadlow stepped closer, caressed her cheek, "You have no" his gaze dropped to her lips "chemistry" and back up to her eyes.

She pretended to be mesmerized by him.

"What is it to you?" Her voice trembled on a whisper.

"A woman as beautiful as you, as smart as you, should not be wasted on a man like him." He kissed her. She counted to three, threw in a sigh for good measure, and wrenched herself out of his grip.

"How dare you!" she exaggerated her breathing, but the stinging slap she left across his cheek was all real. She stalked away and didn't bother to hide the triumphant grin. If she'd given in to him right away he would bore of her before she got anywhere. Pushing him away, giving him a reason to chase her, that would fuel his ego and his interest, and he would play right into her trap.

Callen looked up as she strode into the guest house.

"Nice work."

Kensi grinned and flopped onto the couch. "besides the fact that he had his slimy mouth on mine, I will call tonight a success."

Callen chuckled, "you call in?"

"Yeah, I called Deeks' cover phone. They'll probably trace it, his guys followed me."

Callen frowned and stood, peering surreptitiously out the window.

"You think they made you?"

"I thought so, but Hadlow seemed a lot more interested in the fact that I was hiding the call from you than he was in who I was making the call to."

"You think he's taking the bait?"

Kensi shrugged her shoulders, "too early to tell."

Callen nodded and peeked out the window again.

"Turn off the lights," he said suddenly.

Kensi flipped the light switch and they were plunged into darkness.

"What?" Kensi whispered.

Callen gestured for her to come closer and then pointed out the window.

"Can you make out what they're saying?"

Kensi squinted at Hadlow and one of his guards talking. They were turned sideways, which made it a lot harder to read their lips but she was able to make out a few words.

"They said your name, 'Thomas', now he's saying something about 'the woman, connections, I want,' I think he's talking about me."

The men turned and started walking towards the house.

"I think he's going to try to get rid of me." Callen said.

"He views you as competition."

"I don't think he's going to send me off with a friendly goodbye either."

Their eyes met.

"So I tell him I keep you around because you're valuable."

Callen shook his head. "He's not going to believe that, we've got to stage the fight now."

Kensi nodded and nerves began to dance up her spine.

"You're going to be fine Kensi. You've got this." Callen stood in front of her and gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze.

"Remember you're not really alone, I'll be watching as best I can, and we have the drop spot."

* * *

It had been nearly two months since Kensi and Callen had left for San Diego, and almost a whole month since Kensi had been on her own. She was making good progress with Hadlow and at last check in she'd confirmed that she'd gotten access to his books. The files had already been transferred to OPS, but they still needed that ledger to tie everything up in a neat little bow and put Hadlow away for life.

Deeks clenched his jaw as they replayed the footage of Kensi walking into a club on Hadlow's arm. She wore a short tight dress, the kind that made her look like she had legs that went on for miles. Hadlow clutched her possessively, like she was some sort of trophy. Frustration gnawed at him. Being someone's partner meant having their back, and right now not being able to have Kensi's back was driving him crazy. One slip up and she was dead. There wasn't any way to soften it up. She had no backup, no partner, she was completely alone. Sure Callen was trying to keep as close an eye on her as he could, but even that wasn't enough if she got into any real trouble.

Deeks stared at the files on his computer screen until the letters and numbers became a blur. He was overtired, stressed. He wasn't sleeping much. They'd had to move on to other cases, people died, people broke the law, and agents needed to investigate those crimes. Callen and Kensi were on top of the Hadlow case and Sam and Deeks were shuttled off to the other cases. He spent his days doing his job, and his nights poring tirelessly over the Hadlow files. Night after night he did this, and night after night he came up with nothing.

He pulled up the picture of Kensi he'd stored on his computer one summer over a year ago, he'd been doing that a lot lately. He'd caught her mid laugh on a sunny beach in Romania, and he vaguely remembered making some joke about a swimsuit optional beach. They'd downloaded the surveillance pictures onto his laptop, the real reason for the impromptu photo shoot, and he'd kept this one. It made him smile whenever he looked at it, he never bothered to ask himself why.

"Kensi know you have that?" Sam's voice came from behind him.

Deeks jumped and closed his laptop, turning slowly to face Sam.

"No, and since we're partners, partners who trust each other, you won't be telling her am I right?"

Sam looked at Deeks for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

"I never really felt like we reached that level, which is why I have no problem using this as leverage."

Deeks narrowed his eyes and stared at Sam.

"What kind of leverage?"

"I'm sure it will come to me," he waited a beat, "while you're filling out my paperwork."

Deeks let out a resigned sigh and held out his hand for the stack of files on Sam's desk.

Sam chuckled as he handed over the files and kicked his feet up onto his desk.

"This partnership is definitely starting to have its perks."

"Yeah, glad you're enjoying it buddy," Deeks muttered darkly as he flipped open the first folder.

* * *

Kensi swallowed hard as she watched Hadlow cross the room to her. She'd put off seducing him long enough. He was perfectly primed and despite how his touch on her skin revolted her she needed to close the deal. Tonight.

"Elena, how is it that every time I look at you, you become more beautiful." He reached out to grab her hand and bring it to his lips.

She smiled and allowed him to lead her outside.

"I closed the deal with Edwards, he's shipping our product tomorrow."

"No more business, not tonight." His breath was hot in her ear and she could smell the alcohol on him. "Tonight we celebrate." Hadlow said, and he grabbed another drink, tossing it back like water.

Kensi smiled, allowed him to drag her close. He was making it easy.

"It's a little noisy out here," she leaned close to whisper in his ear "why don't we go somewhere a little quieter, where we can celebrate in private."

She heard his quick intake of breath, tried not to grimace when he pressed a sloppy kiss to her mouth. Kensi eased away and headed for his bedroom, anticipation building with each step closer to the ledger that lay hidden in the safe. She turned around to smile at him over her shoulder and beckoned to him, leading him stumbling and weaving to his bedroom. Kensi checked surreptitiously for any of his men that may have followed them and was satisfied to see the hallway was clear. She pushed Hadlow into the room and stepped in behind him.

"Now, let's get down to business." Kensi said, and aimed a punch at his jaw. It had enough force behind it to knock him out, but he stumbled drunkenly and her fist grazed his ear. Somehow he gained his footing and his fist connected with the side of her head and sent her sprawling. Kensi grunted at the impact and rolled to the side as he lunged at her, springing up again to face him. His cheeks were flush with anger enhanced by the alcohol and he lunged at her again, sending them crashing into a side table. His hands closed around her throat and squeezed. Kensi put all her strength and focus into the thrust of her hand and she felt the crunch of bone as she connected with his nose. Warmth ran over her hand and he released her throat to stumble back as blood poured from his nose. In one quick move Kensi swung up and wrapped her arm around his throat, squeezing at his jugular. He twisted and jerked but she clung like a burr until he slumped to the floor.

Breathing heavily, Kensi dragged him to the foot of the bed where she used one of his expensive silk ties to bind his hands to the bed and another to gag him. Knowing she had to move quickly she scrambled around the room, searching desperately for the safe. There was no telling if anyone had heard the crashing and thumping upstairs and she had no idea how much time she had. There was a painting on the wall and she moved it aside roughly, letting out a relieved breath when she saw the safe hidden behind it. Her heart was beating hard in her chest and her breath was harsh from the exertion from the fight. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing as she pressed an ear to the safe and turned the knob. She heard the first click and reversed the turn slowly, stopping again when she heard the second click. Kensi turned the knob right again and when she heard the last click she stepped back to pull open the door to the safe. There were stacks of money and a few expensive looking baubles but the leather bound book she was searching for wasn't there. She tossed the money and jewelry out in a desperate search and stared in horror at the empty safe. It wasn't there. Everything she'd done, all of it, for nothing.

She slammed her hand against the wall in frustration and blinked in surprise when a hidden panel on the side of the safe eased open. Carefully she slid a fingernail into the seam and opened the panel. Inside the small space a leather book was taped to the wall and she pulled it out, opening it to read the contents. A smile started to form as she read the names and descriptions tied to miscellaneous transfers of funds. They were written vaguely enough that an untrained eye wouldn't see anything other than a few business transactions, but when compared to Hadlow's financial records, things wouldn't add up. Payments made for items sold on the black market, contract killers, hit men, these were written down in the ledger and changed and concealed in his financials. Kensi took a moment to scrub the blood from her hand and then slipped out of Hadlow's room again, making sure to lock the door behind her.

She had to get out, and get out fast. Hadlow's men would notice he was missing soon enough and they would go check on him, and find him tied to his bed with blood dripping onto his shirt. She needed to be long gone before that. The ledger was too big to hide in her purse so she draped her coat over it and made a beeline for the front door. Kensi stopped short as she saw one of Hadlow's guards step standing in front of the door and shot him a charming stepped aside without acknowledging her and she breezed past him.

Just as she was congratulating herself on a job well done she heard the shout. They found Hadlow. She ducked behind a large sculpted topiary and tossed her coat and kicked off the heels. She slipped the gun from the lining of her purse and dropped the purse to the ground. Two men ran by her and she looked out slowly. They were gesturing to the guesthouse and if she ran now she had a clear shot to the high estate wall. Kensi huffed out a breath, hitched the skirt of the dress and sprinted over the grass. The walls lining Hadlow's estate were too high to climb but a fountain placed close enough to the wall allowed her to scramble up and get a good grip onto the top of the wall. She glanced back once to make sure she wasn't going to be spotted and stuffed the gun and ledger down the front of her dress before pulling herself up. She grunted with the effort and her muscles strained but she managed to heft herself up high enough to scoot her torso up onto the top of the wall. A shout had her head snapping up. One of Hadlow's men was running towards her.

Kensi shimmied over, wincing as her knees scraped brick and the dress tore at the hip. The drop wasn't small but she let go anyway, tucking into a roll as she hit the ground. She heard the pop of gunfire and scrambled up, grabbing the ledger that had fallen out of the dress and pulling out her gun. She ran away from the gates of the estate, looking desperately for a place to hide. Her only option now was to get as far away from Hadlow's men as possible. One semi-automatic pistol with 15 bullets in its magazine wouldn't stand up to an army of men who would be much better armed than she was. A car sped around the corner, tires screaming, and Kensi froze. She had nowhere to go but back, and she could already hear Hadlow's men closing in. She leveled her gun at the approaching car, and nearly sagged with relief when the door opened and she heard Callen's voice yelling for her to get in. Kensi darted out of the bushes and launched into Callen's car. He made a tight u-turn and the tires squealed as he sped off again.

She held up the ledger as they sped towards the highway and Callen grinned.

"We've got him." He said.

"We've got him," Kensi repeated and leaned back in the seat. "Now let's go home."

* * *

He sucked in morning air as he emerged from the wave. It was quiet this morning on the beach, the usual crowd of surfers were all crowded into the ocean at Malibu beach where the waves were rumored to be the best of the season. Usually he followed them, but today he'd wanted the solitude of sun and water. His thoughts floated to Kensi as they often had these past months and he dipped under another wave, shaking his head as he emerged. The sun was warm at his back and the water cool on his skin. Gentle waves lifted and then dropped him, a sensation as soothing as being rocked. The waterproof watch on his arm beeped, signaling it was time to paddle out and make his way to The Mission.

The ocean swelled then dipped, and with one strong kick he found himself right in the sweet spot, ready to ride one of the morning's best waves right to the shore. He felt the same rush as he always did, skimming the water's edge as the powerful wave surged behind him. He shifted his feet slightly and tipped the board over the edge of the wave, speeding through the center and diving under as the wave broke. He let out a whoop as he broke the surface of the water and when he looked towards the shore he saw her.

His heart did one slow roll in his chest and in that moment he knew he loved her. Kensi's face was unreadable as she watched him walk out of the water. He wanted to say something, anything, but the words stuck in his throat as emotions shimmered to the surface. The rising sun made her skin glow and little gold sparks lit in her hair. He reached for her and when she didn't protest he wrapped his arms around her. She was warm from the early morning sun and he gathered her to him, reveling in the feel of her. Though it pained him he stepped back, met her eyes.

"You're back."

"I am," she said.

They stared at each other for a long moment, him taking in the tired edges around her eyes, the strain on her face. Her eyes searched his, and he waited patiently for her to speak.

"I've never been undercover this long before."

Deeks nodded, understanding. He'd been there before, weeks, months of pretending to be someone else, usually not someone good. It got under your skin, made you do things you couldn't always forget.

"I kept thinking about how we left things, I..." She stopped, trailed off. "I just don't want things to change."

Though it made his stomach drop, he managed to form a smile.

"Then they don't have to."

"I missed you" she said, her eyes trained on his, her emotions so carefully hidden.

It felt like she had reached right into his chest and closed her fist around his heart but he exhaled and managed to hide it.

"I missed you too."

There was another long silence and she bit her lip, fiddling with the end of her shirt.

"Kens," his voice was thick with emotion and love swamped him so that he was helpless to hide it as his eyes met hers. "things have changed."

He saw recognition come into her eyes, watched as panic tightened her face.

"Why?"

"I'm in love with you."

"Are you sure?"

He snorted and shook his head.

"Yes, despite my questionable sanity, I am in love with you."

"I'm scared," her voice was tinged with panic

"Me too."

"What if it doesn't work out?"

"It'll work out."

Kensi let out a frustrated breath and kicked at the sand.

"You can't just say that." She said.

"I'm not."

"Deeks."

He reached out for her hand, threading her fingers with his.

"What's the point of trying to make the world a better place if we can't find happiness in the process?"  
Kensi frowned at him.

"We have something special, you don't find this everyday and I will fight for the right to be with you every day until the day I die."  
Kensi shifted uneasily and he knew his words were making her uncomfortable but he grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him.

"I'm crazy about you, and I can't just keep pretending I don't want to be with you."

Kensi was silent, her brow knitted in thought. Though he was impatient he waited for her to speak again.

She stepped back and pulled something out of her pocket. He grinned as she handed it to him. It was a postcard of San Diego Harbor with the words "Wish you were here." Printed in bright yellow at the top.

"What, no naked picture?" He asked, well aware he was grinning like an idiot.

"I thought you'd like it better in person." Kensi said with a secret smile.

"You were so right." Deeks said as he lowered his lips to hers.

The sun shone bright on them as they embraced and for just a moment everything slipped away and they were just two people in love. The day would move on and they would strap on their guns and pin on their badges. They'd make arrests and shoot the bad guys but tonight they would go home together and he couldn't think of a better end to any day.

**END**


End file.
